Sunday, November 20, 2016

BEFORE THE MALAISE SETS IN



It has been “cognitively rough” for a cat since the Presidential election.  At this point, I have still not completely reconciled my thoughts about the events that led to the victory by the G.O.P candidate, but I have not purposely been following the news… and nor do I have any intention of doing so in the near future.  The mix of feelings around the entire process is nauseating because I believe that it would have been a different election season had Democratic officials not pre-selected its candidate for President.  Anywho, the discomfort that seized me when it became clear who the winner would be has begun to ebb.  That said, when will I become “comfortable” and not a walking, breathing, feeling of dread..?

The holidays are coming and that is another component of my discomfort.  My partner’s family celebrates with coming together and having big Thanksgiving’s and Christmas’ at one of their houses.  Finding out that these get-togethers are filled with the typical resentments and dislikes that are common to such affairs, have only inflamed my avowed distaste for these “keeping-up-appearances” events.  I do understand the emotional connection that the women of the family have for these things, but my nature, and not any personal conflicts, is why I am not looking forward to making ANYONE “happy”.  There always have been a part of me that feels as though I am getting shorted in the deal.  In the long run, making my partner and her daughter happy will make up for the discomfort I will experience.

I have been researching the low-carb diet fad, and it is less fad than it is a sound plan.  While I don’t know if I can go full ketogenic, I feel that I most definitely can cut down on my carbohydrate intake, and, of course, be more zealous and focused in my fitness training.  Getting back to diet…

Apparently, eating ketogenic once was a prescription for several conditions. In fact, a ketogenic diet was recommended for epileptic seizures in the early 1900’s.  So, ketogenic diets have been around for a bit and used as a medical option for its health benefits.  And the kicker is, once you enter a state of ketosis your body WILL become more efficient and run better.  Since I have started cutting carbs, my partner has said that she has noticed a difference in how I look, as well as some of my co-workers.  I don’t have the ego to care, just enough to do the maintenance!  

For the past week I have been taking brief (2-5min.) cold showers in the morning.  The practice has been long rumored to have myriad health benefits… and as with eating ketogenic, I am going to do more study to ferret out how valid those rumors are!  The cold weather is certainly going to be a challenge as the temperature drops!  But I will say that I have felt more alert and “activated” since I have started my day with a brisk shower.

Lastly, I am going to start blogging about general fitness and diet stuff regularly in this blog.  I will still give a tactical briefing about my comings and goings.  Though I don’t think that this will ever be “that fitness blog”, I do hope to ferret out some tips to help anyone who comes across this journal.

That is it for now from fly-over country!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The election, for me, emphasized the importance of "acting locally." The best way for me to make a difference is going to be face-to-face. The next four years are going to be rancorous, and I just don't have the heart to think on the national level. I'll do better up close and personal.

I'm looking forward to your fitness tips. As I've gotten older, I've really noticed the difference good foods can make. When I was younger I could eat anything and pretty much get away with it; these days, the margin of error is much slimmer.

2023 said...

Mark, you left a comment previous that your snailmail to me was returned; I wrote you with my new address & MY snailmail was returned because you'd moved....hmmm. Email me please:
marydegliesposti@gmail.com with your new address.

I love Quest protein bars. They are low-carb, & very high in fiber & taste as well.